I hated the idea of waking up early in the morning before I became addicted to my healthy morning routine. What changed my perception?
My former self faced this miserable challenge of creating an ideal morning routine that includes all healthy habits. A seemingly impossible and strenuous task, if you would ask me! Result: It turned my mornings into a whole circus, where I couldn’t enjoy a single habit wholeheartedly. This half-hearted dedication caused me to give unapologetic excuses more than committing to healthy morning habits: I will properly exercise tomorrow; I will eat breakfast later, pushing me into a rabbit hole where even the thought of rising early elicited a natural unceremonious groan from me. Hence, I started hating the idea of stirring early.
Mornings are crazy (especially for working professionals, which includes me, as we have less time for routine habits), and the odds of achieving all daily morning habits are practically less. The heart of the matter (of my unsuccessful attempt to build a morning routine) resided in over-stuffing these habits amidst a time crunch without thinking them through properly.
This blog article goes beyond merely listing healthy morning habits; it is a step-by-step guide to help you build a healthy morning routine that aligns with your lifestyle and goals. This is what I followed to build my ideal morning routine.
Why build a healthy morning routine?
Structuring my morning routine changed my life. Sluggishness and mundane feelings no longer intimidate my mornings; instead, positivity is welcomed. My ideal morning routine now looks like this: waking up early at 5:45 am; sun-warmed relaxation; yoga and exercise sessions; a pleasing draught of my favorite tea as I turn the pages of my current read; prepare for the office and get going by 8:30 am to win the day.
A healthy morning routine is more than just ticking off a checklist for me; it is more about infusing my morning with activities that bring me purpose and joy. All these activities are the whole and soul of my being. I love waking up early to lose myself in the silence of serenity; this serene silence affords me a time of quiet contemplation where I can enjoy my innermost thoughts unfettered. The sun’s tender warmth greets me innocently, waking every cell of my body most romantically as I get ready to write a love letter to my body through the morning sessions of yoga and exercise.
4 Steps to build a healthy morning routine
Step 1: Do a life audit to build a morning routine
A life audit is a planning process to recreate the life you always wanted. Maybe you didn’t matriculate at your favorite university. You didn’t get the well-deserved promotion at your work. Close friendships are twisting your mind and becoming more nuanced. What did you do? You re-shifted your focus and your energy to alternate solutions and bravely let go of emotions that blocked you from growing. Much like pruning dead leaves from the trees to make way for the new ones. But was that a conscious effort?
Our lives are more like layers of cabbage, with each layer signifying one important aspect. Think of a life audit as peeling those layers one by one and examining each under a microscope to study its veins, discovering the rights and wrongs in them. This is exactly what you need to do. I scrutinized all layers of my life under a microscope: mental and physical health, career, relationships, etc. This essential self-discovery, which began with a meticulous introspection of my daily habits and its assertion of the need to build a proper routine, transformed my mornings into super-energetic and satisfying ones.
Step 2: Assess your current habits
As you peel back the layers of self-discovery, it doesn’t remain a space for just contemplation; it becomes a powerful sanctuary for personal growth. In assessing my current habits, I observed how I spend my time and what activities that I engage in regularly contribute to my overall happiness. I recognized that some habits are visceral and have ingrained patterns of thinking and reacting without being easily visible. (Remember how small habits like postponing exercise or skipping breakfast (thinking) contributed to my dislike of rising early in the mornings (reacting).)
We unknowingly cultivate many habits that sabotage our mornings, such as exposing our eyes to mobile screens before sleeping and right after waking up (need more examples?). Recognizing these habits is possible through a life audit. This self-introspection will detangle many threads and help you structure your morning routine accordingly. Are you aiming to improve your mental well-being, increase productivity, or bring more “me time” before you get ready for the office? Here’s what I did.
I grabbed a cozy blanket, a cup of my favorite tea, and got real about my decisions, habits, and challenges. I identified my confronting issues: the absence of a consistent exercise regimen; avoiding nutritious breakfast; and a chaotic mind as I prepared for my day. Acknowledging these stumbling blocks elucidated the solutions I must pursue to resolve them before I build a morning routine. I also identified the causes behind these issues.
The absence of a consistent exercise regimen is because I would wake up late.
I avoided whole nutritious breakfasts because I didn’t have enough time to make one.
My mind battled with frustration in the morning because I couldn’t embrace calmness.
Step 3: Prioritize your morning habits
Making intentional choices goes a long way. I am intentional with my habits, whether waking up early or carving some time to prepare a nutritious breakfast. My transitional journey from being stuck in language to experiencing the brilliance of the morning hour depended on prioritizing important habits. I became more proactive than reactive. The stumbling blocks trapped me in the cycle of lethargy and stagnation, non-actionable towards the things that truly mattered. I may not have understood it at that time, but it slowly pervaded my mind, complicating it. Fortunately, I learned through this phase and put tremendous faith in my decision to transform my life, beginning with my mornings.
I revamped my mornings slowly, adding one habit at a time. I used the power of prioritization rather than adding a slew of habits in the form of an adrenaline rush. I started with a 6:30 a.m. alarm and gradually changed it to 5:45 a.m. After sifting through various food blogs, I compiled some quick and healthy breakfast recipes. My choice? High-protein breakfast foods! Now, my healthy morning routine has all the necessary habits I need for my personal growth.
Step 4: Stay flexible
Life happens without any forewarnings—an extremely urgent late-night work email, a surprise visit from your friend, or bad weather testing your strength—I have come to accept any uncontrolled situations as a chance for improvisation. Building a healthy morning routine isn’t about following a rigid regime every day; allow some space for respite in such emergencies. Bring flexibility into your routine to try different things. Maybe you want to try the new meditation technique that your friend suggested, skip your routine on one of Sundays to slow living or spend time ruminating about that joyous moment in bed.
The beauty of building a flexible morning routine is that it allows you to roll with whatever comes your way; you rejoice without fretting about not sticking to your routine today.
Once in a while, I entertain myself with a new thing. I leisurely walked around my home, just looking at everything. My home is a sanctuary for me, and it felt good to absorb the familiar sights that make it uniquely mine. Every detail, from furniture to all walls, holds memories, and simply being present, brings a sense of contentment to me. That day, I did some stretching but skipped my exercise regimen. Embrace flexibility in your routine, and once in a while, do something new; it might be the secret ingredient to a happy routine.
Bonus tip to create an ideal morning routine
Avoid sleeping late. Do not disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm for a temporary dopamine boost. Following a healthy morning routine is the real dopamine boost (and you will realize it). I set up a “bedtime mode” on my phone with a reminder ringing 1 hour before my actual sleeping time.
Conclusion
You won’t see the change in your lifestyle magically happen the next day. But the power to bring about this change lies in your persuasion to make the change happen. Do not forget why you needed this morning routine. Every night, before you go to sleep, commit to yourself that you will follow this routine. I changed as a person; I no longer beat around the bush when I had to make decisions. The sense of clarity that my morning routine dissipates within me tones down unwanted energies. And I never felt more aware and refreshed.
Let go of the common mentality that you need to be loved by others to feel good. You are not here to impress others, but to make yourself healthy. You want to build this healthy morning routine to bring yourself closer to compassion. Nothing shouts “I love you” more than the “me time” you dedicate to yourself. All the healthy practices—be it regular exercise, enjoying a healthy, yummy breakfast, or reading your favorite book—are a personal commitment to start your day with a satisfying emotion.